William Wilberforce, British politician and prominent abolitionist, died July 29, 1833. Here are three lessons from the man whose faith helped end slavery in England and inspire America’s abolitionist movement.

1. Experience life through the lens of faith.

Prior to his conversion, William was not known as an industrious individual. As a student at St. John’s College, he invested most of his time in social activities and idleness. William committed himself to frivolity, even after being elected into Parliament at 21. As he said himself, “the first years in Parliament I did nothing—nothing to any purpose.”

After a sudden conversion experience, William began to see his work (and world) in a whole new light.

“The gospel freely admitted makes a man happy. It gives him peace with God, and makes him happy in God. It gives to industry a noble, contented look which selfish drudgery never wore; and from the moment that a man begins to do his work for his Saviour’s sake, he feels that the most ordinary employments are full of sweetness and dignity, and that the most difficult are not impossible. And if any of you, my friends, is weary with his work, if dissatisfaction with yourself or sorrow of any kind disheartens you, if at any time you feel the dull paralysis of conscious sin, or the depressing influence of vexing thoughts, look to Jesus, and be happy. Be happy, and your joyful work will prosper well.”

2. Bloom where you are planted.

William struggled with his Parliament position in light of his new faith. Religious enthusiasm was not socially accepted in high society, and he worried about finding himself at odds with his peers. For advice, he reached out to Anglican clergyman John Newton (writer of “Amazing Grace”). Newton responded by telling William, “It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of his church and for the good of the nation.” This gave William the encouragement he needed.

As he later wrote in his diary, “My walk I am sensible is a public one; my business is in the world; and I must mix in assemblies of men, or quit the post which Providence seems to have assigned me.”

His decision to stay in Parliament would help change the nation and end the slave trade.

3. Have the stamina to pursue your God-given passions until the end.

In William’s time, more than 11 million people had been captured in Africa and forced into labor in the West Indies, with Britain controlling the majority of that slave trade. Putting an end to Britain’s role in this unacceptable practice became William’s driving passion, no matter the cost to himself.

“As soon as ever I had arrived thus far in my investigation of the slave trade, I confess to you sir, so enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition. A trade founded in iniquity, and carried on as this was, must be abolished, let the policy be what it might,—let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition.”

Slavery, a booming business, contributed much to the British economy. Though few were directly involved in the slave trade, most wealthy families benefited from it somehow. The resistance to abolishing slavery was fierce, but William was resolute.

For 20 years, William worked as an abolitionist, often without seeing positive results. But on July 26, 1833, the House of Commons voted to abolish the slave trade. Upon hearing the news, William said, “Thank God that I have lived to witness [this] day.” He died three days later.

Your husband’s job often keeps him away from home (with office hours, meetings, visits, and emergencies).

Sometimes getting away to relax, get refreshed, and reconnect with Jesus makes all the difference. Join like-minded pastors’ wives in San Diego for a weekend of faith and fun!

If your husband works in ministry, the Defined by God conference is the perfect opportunity for you to recharge your battery and connect with others who understand the challenges you face.

For the November 1–3 conference, Logos has brought together top speakers from around the world to discuss topics like refining your romance, battling isolation, praying for your husband and the church, balancing your family and ministry, and so much more.

Hear from speakers like:

Amy Groeschel

Amy Groeschel is the wife of Pastor Craig Groeschel of Oklahoma’s lifechurch.tv. She and Craig have six wonderful children, and they are thoroughly enjoying their mission “to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.” Amy advocates social progress, including the eradication of human trafficking and poverty. She is the coauthor and teacher of a four-part discipleship Bible study entitled SOAR.

Jani Ortlund

Jani Ortlund, executive vice president of Renewal Ministries, loves connecting women with the Word of God. Her chief passion in life is serving Jesus Christ through writing, speaking, and discipling. Jani and her husband, Ray—pastor of Immanuel Church—have four married children and seven grandchildren, and they minister in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lisa Chan

Lisa has been married to Francis Chan for 18 wonderful years. He was the founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA, where he served for 16 years before God called their family to new adventures in India, Thailand, China, and—currently—inner-city San Francisco. Francis and Lisa enjoy serving alongside their five kids and hope to expand their family through adoption very soon.

Lauren Chandler

Lauren Chandler is a wife and a mother of three. She is passionate about making much of Christ through writing and singing music, leading worship, blogging, and speaking. Lauren and her husband, Matt, have overcome tremendous challenges, beginning with the November 2009 discovery of a malignant tumor in Matt’s brain. The Lord has been infinitely merciful, providing peace and comfort in uncertainty as well as joy in times of victory and healing.

Designed for pastors, small-group leaders, or anyone else involved in corporate or individual study, Abraham: Following God’s Promise walks your entire church through the life of the first patriarch. The heart of the resource is an eight-chapter commentary that combines critical interpretation with insightful application. Balancing depth and accessibility, the curriculum helps readers at all levels discover better Bible study. It makes for perfect reading during the week, whether as personal study or in preparation for your small-group or Sunday-morning worship.

To serve the needs of small-group leaders, the complete church curriculum expands the commentary into an eight-week Bible-study series. With eight lesson plans, introduction videos, and teaching slideshows, the curriculum gives you the means to usher your groups through a rich study of Abraham’s life. The lesson plans include speaker notes, reflection questions, vibrant graphics, and discussion-question handouts. You’ll be equipped to guide your faith community deeper into Abraham’s journey of faith.

For pastors, the complete church curriculum molds the commentary into an eight-week sermon series. With eight sermon outlines and teaching slideshows, Abraham gives you insightful, challenging, dynamic resources for the pulpit. Used on Sunday morning, these tools will bring to life the journey your community has been reading about during the week. With vibrant visual illustrations and sermon-outline handouts, congregations will enter into the biblical narrative together as they learn how Abraham continues to model a faithful response to God’s call.

Whether used in individual study, in small groups, or on Sunday morning, Abraham: Following God’s Promise: Complete Church Curriculum serves the church at all levels and in all teaching contexts.Known for connecting digital resources and biblical study, Logos multiplies that power by interconnecting all levels of the church in the mission to better understand—and more readily participate in—God’s continuing story of redemption.

We’re already looking forward to BibleTech 2013, which will be held March 15 & 16 in Seattle, WA. This will be our fifth BibleTech conference, each one focused on the intersection of Bible study and technology. It’ll be of interest to anyone who wants to hear about the ways technology is affecting how we translate, interpret, communicate, and transmit the Scriptures.

At BibleTech, you won’t just listen to speakers address the tech issues most important to you—you’ll also interact and network with industry leaders and others who share your interests. Plenty of BibleTech attendees initiated long-lasting friendships and working relationships at past conferences.

Wanted: A Few Good Presenters

Once again, we’re putting out a call for programmers, publishers, tagging experts, information and library scientists, technologists, thought leaders, design gurus, information architects, webmasters, and anyone else working at the intersection of the Bible and technology. Come lead conference sessions and round-table discussions! To be considered, all you have to do is fill out our Call for Participation form!

We’re going to get a lot of entries, so we encourage you to be as descriptive as possible when sharing your topic ideas. If you have multiple ideas for sessions, feel free to fill out multiple entries.

We’ll close the call for participation Friday, November 30, to give ourselves time to choose the best session speakers for next year. Please submit your topic by then!

Oswald Chambers, the Scottish minister best known for his beloved devotional My Utmost for His Highest, was born 138 years ago today. Celebrate his birthday by picking up the 24-volume Oswald Chambers Collection for only $95.88 with coupon code OC529—that’s 50% off the retail price!

Quotable and thought provoking, Chambers’ works are still cherished by Christians worldwide. Whether you’re new to Christianity or you’ve been studying the Scriptures for decades, you’ll find treasures liberally sprinkled throughout Chambers’ volumes:

“The diabolical nature of sin is that it hates God, it is not at enmity against God; it is enmity. When you get the nature of sin revealed by the Holy Spirit, you know that this phrase is not too strong—red-handed anarchy against God.”—from God’s Workmanship

“There are people to-day who are going through an onslaught of destruction that paralyses all our platitudes and preaching; the only thing that will bring relief is the consolations of Christ. It is a good thing to feel our own powerlessness in the face of destruction, it makes us know how much we depend upon God.”—from Baffled to Fight Better

“The aspect of the cross in discipleship is lost altogether in the present-day view of following Jesus. The cross is looked upon as something beautiful and simple instead of a stern heroism. Our Lord never said it was easy to be a Christian; He warned men that they would have to face a variety of hardships, which He termed bearing the cross.”—from Approved unto God

“In the New Testament everything centres in the Cross. The Cross did not happen to Jesus: He came on purpose for it.”—from Bringing Sons into Glory

Until you have stopped trying to be good and being pleased with the evidences of holiness in yourself, you will never open the wicket gate that leads to the more excellent way. The life ‘hid with Christ in God’—that is the more excellent way.”—from If Thou Wilt Be Perfect

“The questions that matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words ‘Come unto Me.’ Not—‘Do this’ and ‘Don’t do that,’ but ‘Come.’”—from Our Brilliant Heritage

“One great characteristic in the life of a man whose life is hid with Christ in God is that he has received the gift Jesus Christ gives. What gift does Jesus Christ give to those who are identified with him? The gift His Father gave him, The Father gave Him the Cross, and He gives us our cross.”—from Christian Disciplines

Learn more about Oswald Chambers—then save 50% on his works. To get the discount, pick up the Oswald Chambers Collection by the end of the day Saturday, July 28, with coupon code OC529!

The massive Hermeneia and Continental Commentary bundle includes over 28,000 pages of valuable scholarship. This 63-volume bundle rarely goes on sale, but from now through July 31, you can get it for just $599.95. Save $600 by using coupon code HCCbefore 11:59 pm (PDT) Tuesday, July 31.

A Comprehensive Commentary Series

The Hermeneia and Continental Commentary series addresses and discusses some of the Bible’s toughest questions. The bundle uses ancient Semitic and classical languages, but it also provides English translations of Greek, Latin, Canaanite, and Akkadian comparative materials so that readers can compare the translations to the original-language sources.

The series’ authors, among them Paul J. Achtemeier, Dans Dieter Betz, Harold Attridge, and others, are some of the world’s most trusted biblical scholars.

I sometimes receive emails from Logos users asking about finding different search results for a Greek lemma (dictionary form of a word) when searching different Bibles. For example, a search for a Greek word in the NASB may yield three results, while the same search in the KJV only yields two hits.

Without going into a lot of detail or opinion about Greek texts (this Logos article offers much more information), I’ll point out that English-language Bibles are primarily based on one of two types of Greek texts: received text (KJV) and critical text (NASB). Some differences do exist between the two.

Here’s a way to search both families of Greek texts at the same time:

Choose Guides | Make a new guide template (New Guide Template for Mac)

Name the new guide anything you like, such as Multiple Rings (A)

Click Bible word since this guide will examine words, not verses (B)

Click Translation in the Individual Sections menu on the left (C)

Click the drop-down list in the Translation item on the right (D)

Select from the drop-down list an English-language Bible based on the received text such as the KJV (E)

Click Translation again in the Individual -Sections menu on the left (C)

Click the drop-down list in the Translation item on the right (F)

Select from the drop-down list an English-language Bible based on the critical text, such as the NASB (G)

Repeat these steps for as many Bibles as you’d like

Close the Template Editor (H)

Open a English Bible with the reverse interlinear option, such as the ESV, KJV, LEB, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT,or NRSV

Navigate to a New Testament passage, such as Hebrews 12:3 (I)

Right-click on a word, such as “weary” (as translated in many Bibles) (J)

Select Lemma | “your new guide” such as Multiple Rings (K)

Now notice the multiple translation rings on display, showing the manner and number of ways this Greek lemma is translated. In the “weary” example above, the word appears three times in the received text and twice in the critical text.

If you enjoy this type of customization and original-language work, you’ll enjoy Camp Logos 2. This seminar focuses on personalizing your system for enhanced use and employing language tools—even if you’re not a Hebrew or Greek scholar.

Camp Logos 2 is available both in DVD format and in live seminars. Register today for one of these Camp Logos 2 Seminars slated for this fall:

Think about the last suspenseful movie you watched. Remember the music that played just before something (typically bad) was about to happen? Imagine what the movie Jaws would have been like if there wasn’t that deep two-note dah-dum, dah-dum. Half the fun of those movies is knowing something is just about to happen. It’s the anticipation that often puts us on the edge of your seat.

We do something similar when we tell or write stories. Here’s what I mean. What if I were to say something like: “I heard a sound in the attic, so I walked upstairs. And as I was walking up the stairs . . .” What would you expect to come next? Instinctively you’d expect something surprising to happen right after this repeated sentence. The suspense is created by a linguistic device called Tail-Head Linkage. Tail-Head Linkage involves the restatement of an action from one sentence (the tail) at the beginning of the next one (the head). Repeating the information slows down the story and builds suspense because something surprising or important is about to happen.

Genesis 39 recounts the story of Joseph’s refusal of Potiphar’s wife’s advances. After resisting her day after day, the scene comes to a climax in v.12. Potiphar’s wife grabs Joseph’s garment, attempting to entice him again, but Joseph drops his garment and runs away.

Although we expect to immediately read of her reaction to Joseph’s blatant rejection, Tail-Head Linkage slows down the action. Notice that all the content of the second half of v.12 is repeated in the first half of v.13. This slowing down of the story builds suspense and tells us something important is about to happen. In this case, we find out that, rather than letting the incident go as she had done before, she concocts a story blaming Joseph for attempting to force himself on her. This false accusation leads to Joseph’s imprisonment, setting the scene for his eventual rise to second-most-powerful ruler in Egypt.

The Lexham High Definition Old Testament and Lexham Hebrew Discourse Bible locates each instance of Tail-Head Linkage in the Hebrew Bible It allows you to get the benefit of seeing how these devices work without knowing the original language. Locating these devices and understanding how they work help you more vividly and accurately communicate Scripture to others in your preaching and teaching.

For those who have studied Hebrew or are comfortable working with an interlinear, the Lexham Discourse Hebrew Bible includes the Lexham High Definition Old Testament. Having both resources enables you to see the detail of the Hebrew and then what that looks like overlaid on the ESV translation. These two resources come bundled together with an introduction and glossary written to help you understand the function of each device.

Looking for some solid evangelical, scholarly insight into biblical topics like Christology, the trinity, eschatology, and postmodernism? Check out the Millard J. Erickson Collection. Erickson, one of today’s most respected evangelical theologians, takes a balanced approach to these subjects.

Consider A Basic Guide to Eschatology: Making Sense of the Millennium, for instance. This volume presents an overview and history of various end times views. Erickson presents basic arguments for postmillennial, amillennial, and premillennial views, treating the strengths and weaknesses of each position. He then goes on to discuss differing tribulational views.

A Basic Guide to Eschatology has received many positive reviews:

“Erickson is certainly one of the most prolific writers among contemporary Baptists. But this comment about quantity shouldn’t eclipse the high quality of Erickson’s writing. He does a superb job at explaining topics that can be difficult to understand—in this case, eschatology. In a concise, to-the-point fashion, Erickson examines strengths and weaknesses of each of the major schools of thought.”—Minister’s Packet

“A massive compendium of information that will be valuable to anyone interested in contemporary theological trends. The review of contemporary Christologies in Part 2, for instance, provides excellent summaries of numerous recent studies. Erickson is a master of identifying the central arguments and key representatives of theological movements. Readers will find here a lucid, readable summary of conservative Christology. Erickson’s study will certainly become a standard textbook and resource in the field of Christology.”—Critical Review of Books in Religion

“Here is a well-informed, workmanlike overview of Christological discussion, ancient and modern, by an evangelical veteran.”—J. I. Packer

Erickson has taught at numerous schools, including Bethel University, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, and Baylor University. There’s no question that he’s used to making complex ideas accessible to students. If you’re looking for a theological collection that’s thoughtful and exacting while still approachable and uncomplicated, you can’t do much better than Millard J. Erickson Collection. Get yours while it’s still on Pre-Pub.

You’d be hard pressed to come up with a list of influential North American theologians that excludes J. I. Packer. Packer is one of those rare scholars whose works are beloved by both academics and laypeople.

As testimony to this fact, it didn’t take long for the four-volume J. I. Packer Collection to go from “Gathering Interest” to “Under Development” when it first showed up on Pre-Pub. But it isn’t too late to pre-order this collection at the low price of $44.95.

In this biblical and practical exploration of divine guidance, you’ll find solid foundations for understanding how and why God guides his people. Discover the role of Scripture, discernment, wisdom, the counsel of others, and the Holy Spirit in helping you determine God’s will.

“On his 80th birthday, Packer said that the greatest challenge for the twenty-first-century church was to re-catechize and disciple believers. These contributions from two of our best Christian thinkers help us to do precisely what Packer said is needed. It will help you to see how to make not just converts but, as Jesus tells us, disciples.”—Chuck Colson

In this new edition of his classic Keep in Step with the Spirit, J. I. Packer seeks to help Christians reaffirm both the biblical call to holiness and the Spirit’s role in keeping our covenant with God. Packer discusses the merits and shortcomings of the current charismatic movement, as well as how Christ must always be at the center of true Spirit-led ministry.

“Students of J. I. Packer’s beloved Puritans may hear echoes of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress throughout this volume. Turning the pages feels like walking through the Interpreter’s House, with each essay introducing a series of poignant lessons from the Anglican theologian. . . . When historians examine the life of Packer, this volume will serve as a useful starting point.”—Chris Castaldo, Christianity Today